The Financial Crimes Section is made up of a team of investigators who primarily concern themselves with cases of Forgery and Credit Card Abuse. The rapid increase in incidents of Identity Theft, however, has necessitated the inclusion of those cases. These offenses may be briefly described as follows:

Forgery - The vast majority of Forgery cases involve checks that either have been counterfeited or stolen and passed fraudulently. Other Forgery cases involve documents such as wills, powers of attorney, or business contracts that have been fraudulently prepared and presented as though they were authentic.

Credit Card Abuse - This offense occurs when a person uses the credit card, debit card or number of a credit card or debit card of another without authorization, or uses a credit or debit card that he/she knows is invalid.

Identity Theft - Identity theft occurs when a person acquires or possesses the identifying information of another with the intent to use that information to harm or commit fraud. Here, identifying information includes, but is not limited to, a person's name, Social Security Number, date of birth, driver license number, address, unique biometric data, or other forms of information that identify a specific individual.